Bath safety stanchion



Dec. 17, 1963 M. P. LAUGHLIN 3,114,154

BATH SAFETY STANCHION Filed Oct. 25. 1961 IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent "ice 3,114,154 BATH SAFETY STANCHION Myron P. Laughlin, 1705 Beach Drive SE., St. Petershurg, Fla. Filed Oct. 25, 1961, Ser. No. 147,562

3 Claims. (Cl. 4185) This invention relates to bath tub safety devices and more particularly to a support stanchion for bathroom safety.

It is a particular purpose of this invention to provide a device which will provide a support for the bathroom user, most particularly those using the bathtub or shower, but in general all those who may slip upon floor or bath tub bottoms.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a bathtub safety device which will extend upward from the bathtub rim directly beside the path of those getting in or out of the tub and which will be so secure as to furnish a reliable, safe hand grip at any height the person may require whether he be standing or sitting, which Will be firm and secure at the height at which he does grasp it, and will provide that such weight as he may apply to it will add to its security rather than to the risk of failure as in present devices.

It is also an important object of this invention to provide a secure hand grip device which will have all the rigidity and security of wall secured rails without requiring the difficult and expensive penetration of tile and enamel surfaces necessary for the installation of such wall devices.

A further purpose of this invention is to provide a safety stanchion bar which may be readily and safely installed in most bathrooms by the usual householder without special skill or tools and thus will eliminate the usual installation charges, delay and muss attendant on plumber installed devices.

It is the particular purpose of this invention to provide a new, safe and satisfactory means for attaching said devices in their places without altering the structure or finish of the bath.

Certain other improvements inherent to the herein disclosed device will appear as the appended description develops and from the disclosures in the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation, partially sectioned, of my invention in use.

FIG. l-a is a diagram of the forces involved in the use of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the clamp portion of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the device in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of the device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a top plan of the device shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows the structure of the upper stanchion end.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 1-0, a broken-away view in parital section of a common form of bathtub is shown at B. Such tubs are commonly provided with a rim R to which it is desired to secure my device, after installation of the tub in the bathroom, without marring the tub surfaces. The position of a person sitting in the bathtub is indicated by a figure P. To perform my purposes, I provide a clamp C (more fully detailed in FIGS. 2 to 5) from which projects a stanchion S extending to the ceiling of the bathroom as at T. Stanchion S is preferably made in two telescoping sections 10 and 11 both pressed by spring or screw pressure to initial contact after the fashion Well known to the art. When so positioned, the stanchion produces upward and downward pressures at the tub rim and the bathroom ceiling for the purposes described.

3,114,154 Patented Dec. 17, 1963 Referring now to the FIG. l-a diagram, it will be seen that the forces involved when the device is placed in position are an upward pressure 20 against the ceiling opposed by a downward pressure 30 against the tub rim. This invention resolves upward pressure 20 into a multi plicity of pressures 21 through the medium of a distributing head 20H having a frictional contact surface H2 for intimate contact with the bathroom ceiling. Thus the static pressure of 20, when the device is not in use, is equal and upward to all of the points 21 in contact on head 20H.

Downward force 30 is distributed through clamp C as through a multiplicity of levers 30L engaging surfaces in the frictional surface C2 interposed between this clamp and the bathtub rim R. Side forces on stanchion S at its bottom end are also opposed by lever arms '31 and 32 operating in a plane substantially parallel to the top of tub rim R.

The use of the bath stanchion by a person P immediately changes the effect of the lever arms previously mentioned and their effect upon the surfaces which they grip through areas of the frictional means H2 and C2. For purposes of description, a person P has been shown gripping the stanchion S at a point 40 as occurs when a persons weight is to be raised from the bottom of the bathtub. The center of gravity of such a person has been illustrated as concentrated at substantially the point W and transmitted through the body structure to the point 40. Inspection of the diagram, FIG. l-a, will show that the increased weight, applied as described in the preceding paragraph, will increase the downward press of force 30 to take a substantial part of the added load and produce a new force S as a side load. Side load S will produce a distortion in stanchion S, which may be indicated -by the broken lines 35 (and the top section of the stanchion by 25) and such side distortion will produce motion in levers 30L, the lever 30L toward the load being depressed and thereby transmitting a greater portion of thrust 30 to that portion of frictional surface C2 lyingunder the extension of this lever 30L. This will have the eifect of concentrating thrust 30 on one area of frictional surface C2 thereby greatly increasing its frictional grip on rim R and its skid resistance. Load L will, at the same time that it distorts the stanchion, of course, produce a direct side pull upon stanchion S at its point of contact with clamp C and clamp C is especially provided with levers 31 and 32 to counter this side pull, accomplishing this through this horizontal lever structure since lever 32 contacts the outer edge of rim R as at 32R, while levers 31 contact the inner surface of the tub rim, as shown in the diagrammatic FIGURE l-a. Thus side pull upon the base of the stanchion tends to rotate the levers forming a part of the clamp about the shorter lever 3-2 and, since the nearer clamp 31 is of fixed length, firmly clamping the rim between the downwardly extended ends of the levers. This clamping action cooperates instantly with the increased frictional effect of areas of frictional surface 3-2 produced by levers 30L as has been described.

The upward component of load L is, of course, lessened by the application of weight W at 411 through distortion 25 and I, therefore, prefer to make the head 20H which contacts the ceiling of the bathroom of substantial area, so that the extended length of levers 21 may, operated by distortion of the stanchion (25), have a greater vertical movement at their extensions and hence produce effective concentration in frictional surface H2 to prevent slippage at the bathroom ceiling. It will be understood, however, that since the whole leverage 20 of side force S is much greater than that of 30 forces tending to produce slippage at the ceiling are only a fraction of those exerted at the tub rim. I

The incorporation of the lever structure which has been described may be embodied quite simply in a clamp structure shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 wherein a stanchion socket 59 may serve to receive the bottom end of the stanchion 10 which may extend therethrough, as at 32, while levers 31 may be conveniently provided by L-shaped pieces 131 clamped in place between the frictional pad C2 and the main body of the clamp C through such means as the bolt 52. By this means of securing the parts, portions 131 become primarily adjustable for various widths of bathtub rims. It will be seen that the length of clamp C parallel to the tub rim R provides the requisite structure to embody correct spacing for the levers 31, described.

FIGS. 4 and 5 will serve to show an alternate embodiment of the structure previously described wherein the stanchion ltl meets the clamp C-60 at substantially its center. Here levers 31 are jointly embodied in a single wide L-shaped element 62 and extension 32 of the stanchion 1G is replaced by a second L-shaped element 64. Elements 62 and 64 are here clamped between the portions C-60 and the frictional element C2 by suitable bolts 65 which may be released to permit adjustment of elements 62 and 64 to accommodate the tub rim, then tightened to make the unitary structure providing the leverages 31 and 32 as well as 30-L all as described in connection with diagram FIG. la.

FIG. 6 illustrates the extremely simple structure required for embodiment of the levers 21 requiring only an extended head area 20H to which stanchion top portion 11 secures and over which frictional surface H2 extends for selective operation by the levers 21 as produced by force side pressure 20.

What I claim is:

l. A bathroom safety device including an elongated vertical grip stanchion, a bathroom ceiling engagement member including anchoring means resisting vertical and lateral pressure and an attachment for said stanchion, and a bathtub rim engagement member provided with a seat for such stanchion, stanchion length adjustment means within said stanchion, and adjustable pressure means in said stanchion and said bathtub rim engagement member adapted to exert initial tensions on the bathroom ceiling and bathtub rim; thereby providing a bathroom safety device which can be applied and will serve as a safety structure for those within and without the bathing facility.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein grip clamps extend away from said seat, downward on either side to embrace a bathtub rim and horizontally therealong so that multiple pressure distributing arms are provided for lateral pressures applied to and transmitted by said stanchion.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein frictional surface means are interposed respectively below the seat and above said bathroom ceiling engagement member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,678,703 Mueller July 31, 1928 1,732,798 Falzer Oct. 22, 1929 2,092,426 Riddell Sept. 7, 1937 2,807,029 Armstrong Sept. 24, 1957 

1. A BATHROOM SAFETY DEVICE INCLUDING AN ELONGATED VERTICAL GRIP STANCHION, A BATHROOM CEILING ENGAGEMENT MEMBER INCLUDING ANCHORING MEANS RESISTING VERTICAL AND LATERAL PRESSURE AND AN ATTACHMENT FOR SAID STANCHION, AND A BATHTUB RIM ENGAGEMENT MEMBER PROVIDED WITH A SEAT FOR SUCH STANCHION, STANCHION LENGTH ADJUSTMENT MEANS WITHIN SAID STANCHION, AND ADJUSTABLE PRESSURE MEANS IN SAID STANCHION AND SAID BATHTUB RIM ENGAGEMENT MEMBER ADAPTED TO EXERT INITIAL TENSIONS ON THE BATHROOM CEILING AND BATHTUB RIM; THEREBY PROVIDING A BATHROOM SAFETY DEVICE WHICH CAN BE APPLIED AND WILL SERVE AS A SAFETY STRUCTURE FOR THOSE WITHIN AND WITHOUT THE BATHING FACILITY. 